
Class. 
Book. 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



V^x 



p.^ 



THE 




ART 



OF 



D 



mm 



- BY- 



W. T,.. YOUNG 



.X 



77/ A' SCJiOOL nrLLh'IlX J'L'niJCATlONS.- 



Tlie Science of Education. 

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■^{^Cyyl. . ^' ^ 



THE / 

/ 



ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 



BY 



W^. T. YOUNG 



A New Edition, Revised by C. W. Bardeen 



J-" 



L 




im 271896 



mM^ 




SYRACUSE, N. Y. 

C. W. BARDEEN, PUBLISHER 

1895 



Copyright, 1895, by C. W. Bakbben 



PREFACE TO REVISED EDITI01( 



" The ability r<» communicate knowledge- 
s' iiccesfifully to orliers, and particularly to 
tlie yonn^, is less rare than that by which 
ttie knowledgt; s<> acquired by the pupil, 
is dr.iwn out, and by which he is made to 
thinkP Thus rhe author begins his pref- 
ace to the oriiJfinal edition, published in 
1853, and his lirrle work has been of great 
value to those fortunate enough to obtain 
it. For years it has been out of print, and 
in preparing an American edition I have 
taken tlie liberty of making some revisions, 
seldom altering the author's language, and 
never changing his meaning, but making 
it simpler and typographically more attrac- 
tive. I think it deserves to stand beside 
the well-known monographs on the subject- 
of Fitch and Hughes. 

C. W. Bakdeen^ 

Syracuse, Aug. 26, 1895. 



CONTENTS 



Page- 

The province of questioning 9 

Definition _.. 10 

The interrogative particles 11 

Questions should require knowledge 13 

Catechisms _ ...13 

They should require thought .14 

Inferential questions 16 

Capacity of the pupil -.17 

The teacher catechised 18 

"Yes" and "No" questions 19 

Impossible questions .20 

From particular to general 30 

Questions should be simple 31 

Converse questions _. _-.31 

Varied form. _ 33 

Prepositions 34 

Misconceptions 35 

The question restated. -. 36 

Clearness and connection 37 

Needless information ..38 

The teacher's manner _ 39 

Conversational questioning. 30 

Insist upon attempt at answer ..33 

An art in questioning. 33 



8 THE AET OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

Page 

Adaptation to the pupil 85 

Frivolous interpolation 3d 

Redundant and high-sounding phraseology 8(5 

Some questions only observations 36 

Obscurity mistaken for brevity 87 

Make every question explicit Hh 

A question should not end with ' ' what " 4' 

Elliptical questions _ 4 

In reading lessons _ .46 

Examples. _ 47 

■Questions corrected. _ 55 



The Art of Putting Questions 



Words, figures, and facts, are the pre- 
The province of liminarj elements in whicli 
questioning ^^^ ^upiVs thoughts are 

formed and exercised ; laws and principles 
are left to occupy his riper judgment, and 
to form the basis of opinions and convic- 
tions. Since much of the business of the 
school is necessarily routine and mechani- 
cal, since the memory may be burdened, 
while the intellect remains comparatively 
dormant, it becomes the part of an educa- 
tion, wisely conducted, to promote the 
healthy development of all the faculties, 
and — what is indeed the main object of 
catechetical examination — to make the un- 
derstanding operate upon the memory. 
Besides, to bring under the cognizance of 
the master the amount of the pupil's at- 
tainments and to make the pupil himself 

(9) 



10 THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

more thoroughly sensible of his deficiencies, 
a daily and systematic questioning is essen- 
tial. By this alone faint impressions are 
made indelible, and crude half-formed ideas 
deepened into reflection. 

Without attempting to form — what is 
sometimes a matter of diffi- 

Definition i n » • 

cuity — a perfect dennition, a 
question may be considered an interroga- 
tive ellipsis ; the art of questioning, con- 
sisting in giving as much of a proposition 
as makes the answer returned the comple- 
ment of that ellipsis. The antecedent of 
the compound relative -w^Aa^, which includes 
also the simple relative, is that which in 
the great majority of questions, is supplied 
by the answer. 

When we resolve the question, ^' What 
is algebra?" into the affirmative form, it 
becomes '' Algebra is, what ? " which, how- 
ever faulty, is a form of question by no 
means unfrequent, the compound relative 
in the question taking the place of the 
answer. 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 11 

To take another example, " "What were 
the first manufactures of Southern Eu- 
rope ? " — in the affirmative form, " The first 
manufactures of Southern Europe were,, 
what?" 

When what is placed before a noun it 

Theinterroga- becomes demonstrative, and 
tive particles \\^q question turns upon some 

jparticular of which this noun is a general 
name. In the question, '' What circum- 
stance rendered the Norman Conquest of 
England an advantage ?" the answer ex- 
tended to a complete statement, specifies 
what circumstance, thus: "The circum- 
stance that rendered the IN^orman Conquest 
of England an advantage was, the intro- 
duction of the advanced arts and wiser 
laws." 

When^ or at what time, where^ or at 
what place, who, or what person, how, or 
in what manner, why^ or for what reason, 
their use in questions being quite obvious, 
require no illustration. The single particle 
is to be preferred to the adverbial phrase, 
the latter being in questions somewhat 



12 THE AET OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

pedantic, except in the case of the two 
adverbs whence^ from what source or from 
what place, and whither^ or to what place, 
re^^arding which the reverse holds true. 

Which should never be used interroga- 
tively for what. Which is correctly used 
in the question, " Which of the Saxon suc- 
cessors of Egbert was most distinguished % " 
and incorrectly in, "Which occurrence 
caused the death of Kichard the First % " 
Which is employed where the answer re- 
quires that one thing of several, or several 
singly, should be named. Generally speak- 
ing, which requires in the answer an enu- 
meration ; what., a definition or description. 
*' Which are the ascending signs?" would 
be answered by repeating the six seriatim. 
" What are the ascending signs ? " by de- 
fining them to be those lying north of the 
equator. 

As a first requisite in the art of question- 
Questioning re- ing, it must be borne in mind 

quires knowl- ,i , ^-t i j 

edge that on the one hand a ques- 

tion cannot be properly proposed, nor on 
4;he other an answer readily returned, where 



THE AET OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 13' 

the knowledge of the subject is not accu- 
rate and minute. In his examination of a 
class, the teacher is not less tested than his 
pupils. To multiply remarks in continu- 
ous instruction from point to point, or from 
subject to subject, demands neither the 
exact knowledge nor the vigilant readiness 
required to frame questions consecutively 
without any awkward hesitation. 

The popularity which some years ago 
catechisms and "con versa- 

Catechisms . ,, i , • i i i 

tions obtained as school- 
books, arose from the neglect of frequent 
extempore questioning in schools. The 
absurdity of the scholar^s committing to 
memory the question, with its correspond- 
ing answer, was not only tolerated but com- 
mended, although such inseparable associa- 
tion of question and answer, in which the 
latter becomes the adjunct of the former, 
proposed too in the same unvarying order, 
defeats the objects of examination. These,, 
in fact, were the formularies of catechising, 
adhered to by the master with all the per^ 
tinacity which convenience and dispatch 



14: THE AET OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

suggested, and faithfully followed by the 
pupil as a mode, not the most troublesome, 
of throwing off the burden of his tasks, 
which, acquired to-day, were parrot-like 
repeated and forgotten on the morrow. 

It is no unfavorable symptom of progress 
in teaching, to observe among school-books 
the gradual disappearance of ready-made 
interrogatives. That mode of questioning 
alone can aid in expanding the intellect, 
which brings the pupil to a reflective pause ; 
smatterers are generally ready answerers, 
and even smartness is not unfrequently the 
fiign of superficiality. 

As questions may be materially modified 
Answers should ^^ ^uit the readiness and ca- 
require thought pacity of the pupil, they 
should in general be so framed, that no 
answer can be given that is not the result 
of some reflection. All questions partake 
in some measure of the nature of a prob- 
lem, the idea contained negatively in the 
interrogative being the data, and the an- 
swer the solution. In any ordinary sen- 
tence or proposition, consisting of several 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 15 

particulars or conditions, that which, being 
made elliptical, the answer supplies, and 
the particulars of which constitute the 
question, there is a direct appeal either to 
the reasoning powers, or to the memory. . 
In addition to the remarks made in the 
outset, it may assist in compre- 

Examples i j. 2.1 j. x 

bending the nature oi a ques- 
tion, to consider the following examples, in 
which, from three particulars or conditions, 
any two in the question require the remain- 
ing one in the answer. 

A line passing through the centre of a circle, bisects 
a chord, or is perpendicula/r to one. From any two 
of these conditions the third follows. 

Q. If a line passing through the centre of a circle, 
bisect a chord, what is the position of the line to 
that chord ? 

A. Perpendicular. 

Q. If aline perpendicular to a chord, pass through 
the centre, what point of the chord will it intersect ? 

A. The point of bisection. 

Q. If a line bisect a chord, to which it is drawn 
perpendicular, what point of the circle will it pass 
through ? 

A. The centre. 

The Tweed, which partly separates England and 
Scotland, falls into the German Ocean. 



16 THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

Q. What river partly separating England and 
Scotland falls into the German Ocean ? 

A. The Tweed. 

Q. What two countries does the Tweed partly 
separate ? 

A. England and Scotland. 

Q. Into what ocean does the Tweed fall ? 

A. Into the German Ocean. 

Those subjects, in which the answer is 
Inferential deduced from the questions 
questions proposed, should hold a prom- 

inent place in the curriculum of school 
studies, and that mode of questioning 
should be esteemed the best, which tends 
to exercise the greatest amount of thought. 
Among this class of questions, which may 
be called the inferential, those in simple 
proportion, worked mentally, in which the 
ratio of the first and second terms is in- 
tegral, offer an excellent exercise. 

It must, however, be remarked, that 
there are questions, direct and concise, 
which, essential to the elucidation of a les- 
son, can neither be substituted nor omitted. 
Thus: 

If 8 yds. cost 75 cts., what will 32 yds. cost ? 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 17' 

Name tlie principal sea-port of the country 
which lies to the south of that country whose chief 
town is built on the Spree. 

If one angle of a triangle be right, and the two 
remaining angles equal, what is the value of each ? ' 

If 20 grs. make 1 scr. and 3 scr. a drachm, how 
many grs. in a drachm ? 

If 7 is contained 6 times in 42, how many times^- 
is the half of 7 contained in the double of 42 ? 

If 63 gals, make 1 hhd. and 2 hhds. a pipe, what 
part of a pipe is a tierce, in which there are 42 gals. ? 

Name the town built at the mouth of the largest 
river which flows into the gulf lying to the south of 
the country whose chief town is built on the island 
of Manhattan. 

If 9 is contained 8 times in 72, how often is 9 con-- 
tained in 9 times 72 ? 

Here, as indeed in every other point of 
Capacity of the questioning, much depends on 
^"^^^ the good sense of the catechist, 

in observing a proper mean between a sim- 
plicity which falls below, and an abstruse- 
ness which goes beyond the capacity of the 
pupil, to avoid an abruptness in the pro- 
posal of a question, and an irregularity in 
the succession of subjects. 



18 THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

In speaking of the necessity of a correct 
The teacher ^odc of questioning by the 
•catechised master, the importance of his 

reversing at proper times the position of 
the examiner and the examined, by invit- 
ing his pupils to suggest for answer any 
•questions or doubts upon the subject in 
hand, should not be overlooked. A dis- 
tant and magisterial authority may be thus 
agreeably changed into a familiarity not 
less restrictive, and a respect not less in- 
violable. By this means, the master is 
brought into terms of greater intimacy 
with his pupils, among whom no small 
-emulation is sometimes excited for the 
honor of proposing a query to the master, 
who, in resolving these doubts and difficul- 
ties, adds immensely to his importance in 
the eyes of his pupils. The master, how- 
ever, should be careful that this privilege 
may not degenerate into pertness and ob- 
^trusiveness with pupils, not, perhaps, re- 
markably distinguished for refinement of 
'manners or a sense of honor. 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 19 

A question should never be prefaced bj, 
■*' Yes " or " no " " ^^ J^^ kuow ? " or " Can you 

.questions ^^^ j^^ ^ » rpj^^g^ CXpreSsioUS 

merely ask the pupil his ability to answer, 
and can strictly produce only a yes or no. 
Although allowable, and sometimes neces- 
sary, questions which can receive for answer 
only a negative or an affirmative, should 
be proposed but seldom, as the merit of 
correctness is frequently gained by guess- 
ing ; and the disgrace attending an inabil- 
ity to answer being less marked where the 
answer consists of but one or two monosyl- 
lables, never acts as an incentive to the 
negligent, l^or should questions be asked 
which admit for answer an alternative be- 
tween two words. Thus : 

Q, Was London founded by the English ? 

A. No. 

Q. Are the ruins of Babylon still visible ? 

A. Yes. 

Q. Does a proper fraction multiplied by another 
iproper fraction become less or greater ? 

A. Less. 

Q. Is the length of the largest European river 



20 THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS" 

greater or less than the height of the highest Euro- 
pean mountain ? 
A. Greater. 

An effective mode of testing a child's ac- 
impossibie quirements, consists in fram- 

questions in^ a question in such a man- 

ner that certain things are assumed as facts- 
which have no actual existence, as : 

Where did Elijah die ? 

What is the figure called which is formed by two' 
right lines ? 

Name the sea-ports of Bavaria. 

How far must parallel lines be produced before 
they meet ? 

To which of the two poles is Quito nearer ? 

In the progress of questioning, the grad- 

From general to ^^^ advance from what is gen- 
partieuiar gj.^] ^^ what is Specific and 

minute is both natural and easy, the most 

ordinary questions being capable of such 

graduation. Thus (speaking of the siege- 

of Troy) : 

What people besieged Troy ? 
Why did the Greeks besiege Troy ? 
What was the result ? 
Who commanded the besiegers ? 
Name some of the fugitives. 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 21 

When a question requires a complicate 
answer, some one particular 

^Simplicity 

should be selected to form a 
separate question. Conjunctions should 
never be employed in crowding several de- 
tails into one question ; too many points 
presented at once to the mind of the pupil 
distract his attention, and render an an- 
swer if not impossible at least slow and 
uncertain. 

In the question : 

Of what shape is the sun ; how far is it from the 
• earth, and how many miles is it in diameter ? 

the figure, distance, and magnitude of 
the sun should each constitute a distinct 
question, so as to make a clearer impres- 
sion on the learner's mind. 

Most questions admit of their converse 
Converse being proposed, or at least of 

questions ^^^^ cognate particulars form- 

ing a second question ; the principal sub- 
ject thus reproduced and viewed under a 
different aspect, is rendered more familiar 
to the mind. 



22 THE AKT OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

To take as an example, the simplest re- 
mark, thus : Four roods make one acre. 

How many roods make one acre ? 
(Conversely) To how many roods is an acre- 
equal ? 

What do four roods make ? 
Four of what denomination ? 
Four roods make how many acres ? 
What part of an acre is a rood ? 
Is an acre or a rood the greater ? 



Name the chief town of Chili. 

Of what country is Santiago chief town ? 

It is rarely that any questioDiDg less ex- 
plicit than this is wholly successful in fix- 
ing and multiplying ideas. In applying 
the same mode of analysis in actual oral 
examination, each word in the question 
which presents the sentence in a new 
phase should be emphasized. Thus : 

Near Bunnymede, in 1215, King John granted^ 
Magna Gharta, 

Where did King John grant Magna Charta ? 

When ? 

Who granted Magna Charta ? 

What did King John grant at Runnymede in 
1215? 

What event took place near Runnymede in 1215 ? 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 23- 

Here the answers to these direct ques- 
tions, are nothing more than the re-state- 
ment of the sentence itself, in which the 
circumstance, with the particulars of time 
and place, appears distinct and prominent. 

Another method of creating variety and 
Varied form of ^f impressing a fact more 
question deeply on the memory, con- 

sists in asking the same question in differ- 
ent words, and of thus, in some instances, 
altering the form but not the sense of the 
answer. 

Whose son was Jolin the Baptist ? 

Zacharias. 

Who was the father of John the Baptist ? 

Zacharias. 

What was the character of Moses ? 

He was meek. 

What virtue was Moses noted for ? 

His meekness. 



By the battle of Bosicorth, Henry, Earlof Bichmond,. 
became Henry VII. of England. 

Who was victorious at the battle of Bosworth ? 

Who defeated Richard the Third at the battle of 
Bosworth ? 

Who gained the English crown by the battle ol: 
Bosworth ? 



-24 THE AET OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

Who succeeded Ricliard the Third on his death 
and defeat at the battle of Bosworth ? 



Name an island in the Mediterranean belonging 
to the British ? 

What island lies to the south of Sicily ? 
Of what is Valetta the chief town ? 

It will thus be seen, that in numerous 
instances, the answer remains the same, 
while the question itself admits of every 
variety of construction. Each question in 
this class of questions should be indepen- 
dent of the others, and should be proposed 
without any hint or intimation that it re- 
fers to the same thing. 

Those prepositions which precede who, 
which, or what, in the ques- 

Prepositions . -^ 

tion, precede it, expressed or 
understood, in the answer, and should al- 
ways be given with it. Thus : 

By what right did John succeed to the crown ? 
By the will of his brother Richard. 
In which zone is Jamaica ? 
In the Torrid Zone. 

Of what do the Atlas mountains consist ? 
--Of terraces rising in succession from the sea. 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 25 

In delivering a lesson upon any subject, 
remarks should never be extended to any 
length without making them the subject of 
examination. The consciousness of being 
held responsible for what he hears acts as 
an excellent restraint on the listlessness of 
the pupil. 

When their number is considerable it is 
well for the teacher to say, 

Frequent ^"^ ' 

questions a ^\\ ^j^q (j^n auswcr may raise 

their hands." The teacher can then select 
a boy he considers among the least likely 
to answer, and without intimating whether 
the first answer is right or wrong, can refer 
to another boy, who, if attentive, will con- 
firm the first answer if right, or correct it 
if wrong. 

Whenever an answer is not in itself in- 
coherent, but applies wholly 

Misconceptions . ,, , . . t 

to some other question, the 
teacher should at once remove the misap- 
prehension. If a boy asked to name a 
Dutch sea-port says Valencia, he or some 
other boy who can, should at once be made 
to point out the last-named sea-port, and 



26 THE AET OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

should be reminded that it is in Spain and 
not in Holland. 

The teacher should always endeavor to 
show a boy who answers wrongly in what 
respect his answer is incorrect, and should 
never manifest any impatience at the irrel- 
evancy of an answer ; much less should he, 
as is sometimes done, wholly discourage a 
boy by exposing him to ridicule. It is not 
alone the vacuity of ignorance the teacher 
has to replenish, but numerous misconcep- 
tions which he must patiently and labori- 
ously remove if the progress of the pupil 
is to be at all perceptible. 

After the question has been put to sev- 

Question ®^^^ boys and no answer found, 

re-stated q^q qj, ^^q boys among the 

most negligent should be made to re-state 
the question asked, and their inability to 
answer is usually a proof of inattention. 

If the entire class has failed to grasp its 
meaning it should at once be repeated in a 
more suggestive form. 

To take an example, were the question, 
" What is the cause of the seasons ? " pro- 



THE AKT OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 27 

posed without obtaining the answer, it 
might be approached by some more sug- 
gestive form as, "What position of the 
earth's axis causes the change of seasons ? " 
The pupil who fails to answer in defining 
what a thing is, will generally be able to 
tell what it is not ; for example : 

What kind of a line is a curve line ? 

(No answer.) 

Is it a straight line ? 

No, Sir. 

Well, then, if it is not a straight line what kind 
of a line must it be ? 

Crooked, Sir. 

What sort of a, line does a bow make when iti&- 
strung ? 

A bent line. 

Or an . 

An arched line. 

Whatever the subject be which is selected 
Clearness and ^^^ examination, the catechist 
connection should keep in view the prin- 
cipal points of the subject, and should ob- 
serve that the pupil understands, both the 
idea he expresses, and the language in 
which that idea is conveyed. Generally 
speaking, the answer received should sug- 



28 TBE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

gest the succeeding question, the examiner 
at the same time observing that the several 
parts of the lesson are taken up in succes- 
sion, together with a collateral questioning 
explanatory of the answers received. 

The pupil should never be allowed to 
make in the answer any unnecessary repe- 
titions of the words of the question, as in 
answer to the question, "Who was king of 
the Jews under the Koman emperors ? " to 
say " It was Herod who w^as king of the 
Jews under the Roman emperors." 

It is the practice of some teachers while 
Needless examining a class to make al- 

information most cvery question they pro- 
pose follow some uncalled-for observation, 
which, to a class already informed, is cer- 
tainly a needless expenditure of time and 
labor, and to one requiring information a 
most irregular method of imparting it. 
Nor is this all that is objectionable since 
many are disposed to consider that remarks 
so introduced are vainly intended rather to 
display profundity than to communicate 
knowledge. J^o more should be attempted 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 29* 

bj the teacher when there "are other listen- 
ers than his pupils than what forms the 
daily duties of the school, and nothing less 
exact or methodical should be practised 
with his pupils than the eye of authority 
prompts him to perform. The following 
may suffice as an illustration of what has 
been remarked. 

The destroying angel passed over the houses of 
the Israelites ; now how did the destroying angel 
know how to pass over the houses of the Israelites ? 

After the flood the ark rested on the top of a 
high mountain ; what mountain was it ? 

These questions should be : 

How did the destroying angel know which were 
the houses of the Israelites ? 

On what mountain did the ark rest ? 

In questioning the teacher's manner is 
The teacher's ^ot infrequently communi- 
manner cated to the scholar, the in- 

difference or vigor of the former creating 
in the latter a corresponding negligence or 
energy. Ease of manner must not be suf- 
fered to languish into supineness, nor vigor 
to degenerate into haste. Any awkward 
peculiarity or ungainly mannerism in the 



30 THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

teacher's gesture, tone, or language by ar- 
resting the attention of his pupils who have 
a keen perception of the ridiculous, is sure 
to divert their minds from their proper 
business and so to interrupt the work and 
order of the school. 

One remark which will be found of 

Conversational ^^01*^ Service than a multi- 
questioning p|.^j^^ ^^ j,^^|gg^ is, that in al- 
most every case questioning should par- 
take more of the nature of an easy conver- 
sation than of a series of formal interroga- 
tives. So much depends upon a discreet, 
judicious method of questioning, which is 
after all only a means to an end, that mis- 
takes arise more from an over-weening de- 
sire to do great things than from actual in- 
ability in the examiner, who, carried away 
by what has been pointedly called " a sense 
of performance," gratuitously exposes 
himself to the remarks of the invidious. 

Not long since, in the hearing of the 

writer, a teacher, animated by the desire 

■of making a good impression, startled his 

rclass into a momentary attention, by asking 



THE AET OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 31 

them to tell him a thing that flew through 
the air with a tail. 

There was silence deep as death, 
And the boldest held his breath, 
For a time, 

till one boy unexpectedly answered " A 
comet.'' 

" Yes, of course," said the monitor, mak- 
ing a reluctant admission, " that's one 
thing." 

" A cloud," answered another boy, who 
was stigmatized by the monitor as very 
foolish. 

A pause at length ensued, when the 
monitor, surprised at finding no answer, 
announced to his class that it was, " A bird, 
to be sure." 

As the answer is considered with refer- 
Keep the answer ©ncc to what it indicates of 
m mind ^j^^ pupil's acquirements so the 

question should be proposed with a view 
solely to the answer, for of the master's 
questions and the pupil's answers, the for- 
mer are important only in so far as they 
contribute to develop the latter. 



32 THE AKT OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

The teacher while himself observing, 
Insist upon at- should also enjoin upon his 
tempt at answer njonitors the necessity of not 
passing from the boj questioned without 
obtaining at least the best attempt at an 
answer. Among the younger classes of 
the school, there is in general a slowness 
in thinking, and a diflBdence in answering, 
unknown in classes more advanced. The 
teacher is consequently induced to pass 
from those who are unable, to those eager 
to answer ; the dull thus unexercised are 
suffered to retrograde, and the lively by 
frequent exercise made more vigorous. 

Here, tact and application become em- 
inently essential in rousing the apathy of 
the indifferent, and at the same time insur- 
ing full scope to the energetic. 

" What is meant hy to wish f " asked a 
teacher, without obtaining an answer. 
" Whafs to wishf'' she repeated from 
boy to boy round the whole class without 
an answer. 

The principal, who overheard the ques- 
tion thus ineffectually re-iterated, inquired 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 33 

of the boy first asked if he ever wished for 
anything. " Yes, sir," said the boy. 
" Tell me something you ever wished for," 
continued the master. — "A top, sir," re- 
plied the boy. — ''Did you get the top just 
by wishing for it? "— " ]S"o, sir."—" Then 
what do we do when we wish for anything 
we do not at once get ? " — " We long for it," 
observed another boy, not by any means 
distinguished for his acuteness, but whose 
mind had thus been directed closely to the 
question and hence nearer to the answer. 

To draw out that knowledge which is 
First steps in intuitive, to make the child 
education conscious of his own ability to 

think, and so lead him, by little and little, 
to self-reliance and reflection, are the first 
important steps in the work of education. 

It must be allowed that a natural capac- 
^, . . . ity for teachinaj, and a love of 

There IS artm J "' 

questioning the work will do much; but 
these, aided by art and method, can, with 
less labor, effect more. The mere natural 
talent, depending on the mood and the 
humor of the hour, is, like the magnetic 



34 THE AKT OF PUTTIN(i QUESTIONS 

needle, subject to many variations, which, 
to unskilful observers, cause an indication 
-of the cardinal points in sometimes very 
wrong directions. 

When it is considered that from hour to 
hour amongst the several degrees of at- 
tainment and the endless diversity of tastes 
and dispositions in the class, order has to 
be maintained and fifty minds kept not 
only occupied but exercised, and through- 
out all, a moral influence like an atmos- 
phere kept continually circulating, by 
which the noxious under-currents of indo- 
lence and self-will are neutralized, the nec- 
-essity becomes obvious of employing right 
methods of engaging the thoughts. It is 
possible to make the pupil feel as much 
pleasure in following the solution of a diffi- 
cult problem in science as in the attractions 
of a novel. To exercise is to interest the 
young mind, and whatever tends to sustain 
this interest diminishes the necessity for 
■ other modes of discipline. 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 35 

Instruction by lecture or statement, dur- 
Adaptationto i^g which the young class re- 
r the pupil mains passive, soon results in 

promoting sleep in one corner and riot in 
another. It is not sufficient that the sub- 
ject be merely presented to the mind of the 
scholar, — this can be done by a text-book ; 
there must be a ready and skilful adapta- 
tion of the subject to the learner and of the 
learner to the subject ; it must be made 
plain, he must be interested. The teacher 
ought to be not only master of the school 
and of his subject, but, so to speak, of the 
will and the intelligence of his pupils, and 
this he should effect not by constraint, but 
by sympathy and co-operation. 

When the lesson is protracted without 
sufficient variety, the attention flags, and 
the continuous tones of the master's voice 
produce sometimes a mental inanity by no 
means unpleasing to the uninterested. It 
is thus that the silence of a class is not al- 
ways an evidence of its attention. This is 
easily and effectually remedied by the 
master's suddenly stopping short and fix- 



36 THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

ing on one boj, asking him in the hearing 
of the whole to repeat the remarks last 
made. 

1. Do not confound a frivolous with a 
simple question^ as "Does flag grow in 
the ground or come down from the clouds ? " 

2. A question should never he loaded 
with redundant words or' high-sounding 
phraseology ^ as, "For what practical pur- 
pose of oral communication is accent placed 
on syllables of words?" which would be 
shortly and correctly stated, " What is the 
use of accent ? " To take another example, 
" To what countries does the Khineroll on 
its way to the ocean 'I " 

Untrained examiners sometimes ask, 
" What do / mean by so and so ? " " What 
do you mean by so and so ? " " What am 
Zto understand by so and so ? " Such inter- 
rogatories seem rather to be hurled at the 
head of the unfortunate pupil than plainly 
and simply directed to his understanding. 

3. Some expressions meant as questions 
are 7nere observations uttered in an inter- 
rogative tone. — In such expressions as the 



THE AET OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 37 

following the most thoughtless could not 
miss the necessary yes or no : 

Was not Edward tlie First very cruel to the 
Jews ? 

Does not the sun revolve on its axis ? 

Is not the predicate of a more complex nature 
than the subject ? 

The city of Jerusalem remained for some time 
after the publishing of the Gospel, did it not ? 

4. Do not mistake ohscurity for hrevity. 
— A young examiner, in the course of his 
daily questioning, having caught in the les- 
son the word house, abruptly exclaimed, 
with the purpose of examining, " Belong- 
ing to the house?" " Furniture," was the 
innocent and not incorrect reply, instead 
of, as was expected by the questioner, the 
adjective " domestic ". 

In neglecting this caution in many ques- 
tions, the expletive do — not very elegant in 
affirmative sentences, but of unquestion- 
able use in the interrogative — is from an 
idea of simplicity omitted, as: "What 
means ocular demonstration ? " for " What 
does ocular demonstration mean ? " Or 
again : " What promised God to Abra- 



38 THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

ham? " for "What did God promise to 
Abraham ? " 

When the question relates to a verb, a 
double expletive is used, as " What did 
the Creator do on the seventh day ? " This 
caution is consequently neglected where 
only one of the auxiliary verbs is employed, 
as in the question : "What did Eve after 
she had eaten the forbidden fruit ? " 

The neglect of this caution is also observ- 
able where the subject of the question is 
not placed between the parts of the pas- 
sive verb, as : " What is called a word of 
five syllables ? " for, " What ism2i word of 
five syllables called? " or, " By whom was 
founded the empire of the Greeks ? " for, 
" By whom was the empire of the Greeks- 
founded f " 

5. Every question should he direct and 
explicit^ and, without prolixity, should 
rather suggest the answer than leave the 
pupil to consider, not what the answer 
should be, but what the question itself is. 
Idiomatic expressions and particular re- 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 39 

marks should never be turned into broad 
and general interrogatives, as : 

What is it said we all do in Adam ? 
What did God put man upon ? 

"What are the different aspects of the 
planets, and how many are there ? " is an 
interrogative in which it might be doubted 
whether the number of the planets or the 
number of aspects is meant to be answered.. 

" Who built and destroyed the Temple 
of Diana at Ephesus ? " is a question which 
would imply that its building and destruc- 
tion were parts of the same process by the 
same hand. 

A question belonging to this incongru- 
ous class, and which is very frequently 
proposed, is one regarding some person, in 
which the examiner, viewing this person 
in some distinct office, makes his question 
with that single idea, and although several 
different answers may be allowed to be 
relevant and proper, none is considered 
correct except that which corresponds with 
the one idea in the mind of the examiner.. 



40 THE AET OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

Such examination as the following is not 

uncommon : 

Who was Joshua ? 

The son of Nun. 

No, no ; I mean what was Joshua ? 

The leader of the Israelites. 

Well, yes ; but what was he in relation to Moses ? 

He was no relation to Moses, sir. 

Well, but in his office what was he ? 

(No answer.) 

Boys ! was he not the successor to Moses ? 

Then follows a loud " Yes^ sir ", and a 
-considerable confusion and clearing of 
throats. 

6. What should never end a question. 
Where the question consists of several 
clauses, however, it is not objectionable 
that what be placed in the last clause, pro- 
vided it is the first word of that clause. 
The clause preceding what in such a case 
rather defines the conditions of the ques- 
tion and leads nearer to the answer. 

Such a question as, " The first principle 
of all religion is, what ? " is both inelegant 
in construction and ineffective in use. But 
it is proper to ask, " When Moses remained 



THE AET OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 41 

on the mount, what did the people propose 
to do?" and, "When the Israelites kept 
the manna over the night, till next morn- 
ing, what happened to it ? " 

For young children, the elliptical method 
Elliptical ^^s ^^^ advantage of being a 

questions combination of question and 

statement, and forming an available vehicle, 
not only for eliciting, but also for com- 
municating ideas. At the same time it 
keeps hold of a scholar whose attention is 
every moment liable to be dissipated by a 
passing trifle, and to whom, for the most 
part, amusement is dearer than instruction. 
With such, merely to impart information, 
however useful, without at the same time 
taking advantage of youthful impulses, al- 
lows a healthy mental energy to sink into 
restlessness and caprice. 

It may be taken as a rule, that where di- 
rect questioning tends rather to astonish 
than to interest the young pupil, the ellip- 
tical method, which "leads the learner into 
the knowledge of truth as it were by his 
own invention," may be profitably used. 



42 THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

The very homely ellipsis of prompting 
an answer by proposing the first letter or 
syllable should not be mistaken as a part 
of the elliptical mode ; nor does the repe- 
tition of the answer in all except the con- 
cluding words leaving these to be filled 
up by the pupil, constitute a proper ellipsis. 
That which is left for the pupil to com- 
plete should be some important word or 
leading particular. Thus : 

What figure liave I put down here ? . , . ^ Jim. 

What does that single figure really stand for ? 

(No answer.) How many ones does that stand for ? 
.... For five ones. Or five . . . .units. 

There are some numbers greater than five and 
some numbers less ; name me some of them. Yes^ 

two or three are numbers that are less. Yes, less 

than five, and quite right, six or twelve or seven 

are numbers that are greater tlian fim. Now I 

have made the five much. . . .larger than it was be- 
fore, and the five is now a. . . .just a five, sir. Why,, 
much larger, and only a five still ?. . . , Yes, sir, it's 
just the same shape, and then it's just the same figure. 
If I were to make two drawings of any one of your 
faces, one drawing very small and another very 
large, would that make the face itself any larger or 

smaller ? No ; it would make no difference. Then 

the same figure counts the same, whatever its ... . 
size he. 



THE AET OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 43 

Kow-I know some boys who make figures very 
badly ; they make some fives like sixes and some 
sevens like nines, Now, in making figures, what 

should we be very particular about? To make 

tJiem nice. No doubt we ought to make them nice, 
and take care to make them the proper, . . .size. 
Something yet we must mind more than the size. 
That's it, speak well out, the shcqoe 

I shall write down a nine and a ten. I have got 
one figure to make a. . . . nine, and .... two figures to 

make a ten. The two figures that make the ten 

are... a one and... a nought. Look well at the 
ten, and see the side of the nought the one is on ... . 
It is on the left side. Exactly so. Some numbers 
are so great that they take two, and three, and four, 
and very many figures, so that to find correctly 
what a number is we must look at the .... shaxje, and 
then at the place of each figure in the row of fig- 
ures. Every figure for every place it is put to the 
left counts .... ten times greater. 

I have here put down a nought, and I have put 

.a one to the left of the nought, and %h.Q. . . .one 

with the nought counts ten. How many 

tens ?. . . . One ten, or ten. . . .units. Putting the one 
to the left of two noughts, it counts one, . . .hun- 
dred, and so on for every place to the left counting 
.... ten times greater. 

I wish to put down, as one number, four thous- 
and and six hundred and fifty and five. Now the 

lowest place of these separate numbers is units. 

How many units ? Five. This five then is to be 



44 THE AKT OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

made the first figure, sir. On the left or on the 

right ^. . . ,0n the right. What number must I put 
■in the next higher place ? . . . . Six hundred, sir. 

Why six hundred? Because, sir, six is greater 

than five. Now we must look carefully at what we 
have to do. I said the next higher place to units 
.... Tens. Now then, can hundreds be put in the 

same place with tens ? JVo, sir. Why not ?. . . 

.Because hundreds are greater. If a crow, or any 
other large bird, were put into a robin's nest, would 

the crow find itself quite snug ? JVo, sir. Why 

not ?. . . . The croio would be larger than the nest. So 
putting hundreds in the place of tens would be just 
like. . . .putting a crow in a robin's nest. What num- 
ber then must I put in the place of tens ? The 

Jifty. Which is how many tens ? Five tens. So 
now we can easily find the proper place for the .... 
J'our thousand and six hundred. 

The following is an example of the ellip- 
tical mode applied to objects. 

What object is this?.... J. button. What kind 
of a button is it ? A brass button. Then this but- 
ton is made of brass. There are some other 

things made of brass besides buttons ? . . . Tes, fend- 
,ers to put before the fire, the handles of doors, musical 
instruments, some candlesticks, and snuffers. 

When I press this button between my fingers, I 
find it very different from pressing a piece of clay 
or a piece of bread ; the button, when I press it, 
feels very hard. Now, when I press the handle 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUKSTIONS^ 4^5 

of the door, I feel it also hard. I know It is; 

hard by. . . .feeling it, or by the sense of . . . .feelings 

There is something more you can tell me about 
this brass button you could not tell me by the sense- 

of feeling. I see the button is very Iright, and 

that the color is yellow, by seeing it, or by the 

sense of. . . .seeing. 

This penny is made of. . . .copper, this box of . . . ^ 

tin, and this key of iron. Now the copper and 

tin and iron, like the brass, look very ... bright, and 
feel very .... hard. You have told me before that a 
substance is . . . .very right : what we make things of, 
and that what anything is made of is called the (one 
boy) . . .the substance, or the. . . .(no answer.) You 
know when the baker makes bread, he makes it by 
mixing. . ..j^(9?(^r, duXidi. . . .icater, and salt, and ... 
yeast. These then are the things the bread is made 
of, or, in one word the That is it, let the whole- 
class hear you — the materials. Well then, do we 
get these bright hard substances, or ... .materials^. 

from animals or from plants? Right; from 

neither, but from the earth. From the top or- 

deep down ? Deep down, by digging pits. 

Pits or . . . mines. And those things which we get 
out of mines are called from that word mine .... 
minerals. Then copper and tin, brass and iron, be- 
ing got out of mines, are. . . .m^inerals. 

But there are different sorts of minerals, and. 

we found that those we were speaking of were botlk 
hard and .... bright ; and the most of such min- 



46 THE AKT OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

erals are called. . . .metals. Metals then are . . .min- 
erals, which are. . . .hrigJit and hard. 

A great deal of iron comes from mines in ... . 
Pennsylvania and Alabama ; copper from. . . .Miclii- 
,gan; tin from.. . . .Ejigland ; and brass from,... 
(Teacher, with assumed surprise) No boy able to name 
■^ country noted for mines of brass ! Well, I cannot 
wonder at your not telling me, for brass is not got 
■out of the earth at all, but is made by mixing cop- 
per and tin or zinc together. Brass then is not it- 
self dug out of . . . .mines, but the two . . .substances 

— the two metals — which make brass are . . .dug 

■cut of mines. 

You will now be able to tell me a little more than 
"when we began. The substance of which this but- 
ton is made is a. . . .mineral substance, and is also a 
. . . .metal, which is made by. . . .mixing copper and 
zinc. You can also tell me by feeling it, that the 
brass is . . . hard, and by looking at it, that it is ... . 
bright and yelloiD. You were able to tell me those 
three things about brass by the... sense of feeling, 
and the sense of seeing. 

The teacher in examining a class in the 

In reading Ordinary reading lesson, should 

lessons gj,g|^ ggg ^]^^i \\^q pupil Com- 

prehends the sense and general scope of the 
passage read ; and should, in this case, as 
nearly as possible, let the language of the 
lesson be that both of the questioner and of 



THE AET OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 47 

the answerer. He should next examine on 
the particulars relating to the principal sub- 
jects mentioned, and to the more minute 
facts or other points of the sentence. 

Egbert during the remainder of Ms reign and Ms 
m^ccessors Ethelioolf, Ethelhald, Ethelhert and Ethelred 
were engaged in unceasing struggles with these fierce 
invaders, and at the time iDhen the great Alfred suc- 
ceeded Ms brother Ethelred in the year 871, the Mng- 
dom was reduced to the brink of ruin. 

First — The sense and general scope of the sentence. 

What were Egbert and his successors chiefly en- 
gaged in ? 

What was the condition of the kingdom when 
Alfred succeeded his brother ? 

What kingdom ? 

When did Alfred succeed Ethelred ? 

Who was the predecessor of Alfred the Great ? 

Whom did Alfred succeed ? 

What relation was Alfred to Ethelred ? 



Second. — Particulars regarding the principal sub- 
ject. 

Who was Egbert ? 

What was Egbert ? 

How did he become King of England ? 

Whom did Egbert fight against ? 

Name a remarkable successor of Egbert ? 

How was he related to Egbert ? 



48 THE AKT OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

If the same sentence were used for pars- 
ing, he might ask : 

What part of speech is Egbert ? 
To what verb is it nominative ? 
What are those parts of the sentence called which 
come here between the nominative and the verb ? 
How many kinds of clauses ? 
Name them. 

Parse the word remainder. 
What verb is it formed from ? 
The root of remain ? 
Another noun from the same verb ? 
The adjective ? 
Parse the word successors. 
Is the noun applied to persons or to things ? 
What is a successor ? 
The verb from which this noun comes ? 
Its meaning ? 

To those who would for themselves un- 
dertake the following exercise, or prescribe 
it as a task to others, one or two examples 
are offered. Not only will such an exercise, 
prosecuted with perseverance, assist con- 
siderably in perceiving the sense of a pas- 
sage for the purpose of examining on it, 
but it will at the same time form an im- 
portant exercise in English composition. 
The passage selected should be copied out. 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 49^ 

and questions upon each particular with 
their answers written below ; the question 
properly combined with its answer should^ 
then be formed into sentences and the pas- 
sage thus reconstructed should be compared 
with the original. In this way whatever is 
extraneous is at once detected, and the lead- 
ing particulars more readily distinguished. 
Three separate short accounts of the 
siege of Calais have been selected for illus- 
tration. 

After the battle of Gressy, Edioard lay all night on 
the field and marched next day to Calais, of which he 
at once formed the siege. It held out a year all but a 
montli ; whicli so filled Edward iDith rage that he would 
not grant terms to the iilace, in which famine and dis- 
ease raged, unless six of its chief men would come to his 
camp with halters round their necks that he might 
Jiang them. It chanced that his queen arrived in 
camp the same day that these good men came out of the- 
town ; for the best men in Calais had claimed the 
right to die for the rest. She at once prayed the king- 
to grant their lives to her and he did so. 

Wliat did Edward do on the niglit after the bat- 
tle of Cressy ? 

Lay all night on the field. 

What did he do next day ? 
Marched to Calais and besieged it. 



.50 THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

How long did Calais liold out ? 
A year all but a month. 

What effect had this resistance upon Edward ? 
He was filled with rage. 

What were the terms of submission which Ed- 
ward imposed on the inhabitants ? 

That six of their chief men should come to his 
- camp with halters round their necks. 

What was the state of the city at this time ? 
Famine and disease raged in it. 

What fortunate circumstance took place on the 
. same day ? 

The queen's arrival in the camp. 

What did the queen at once do ? 

She prayed Edward to spare their lives. 

What followed ? 

The king granted her request. 

The passage reconstructed from the ques- 
tion and answer. 

After the battle of Cressy Edward lay all night on 
the field, and next day besieged Calais, which held 
-out a year all but a month. This resistance so filled 
Edward with rage that he would not grant terms to 
the place, unless six of its chief men would come to 
his camp with halters round their necks, ready to be 
hanged. At this time, famine and disease raged in 
^-Calais, Fortunately the queen of Edward the Third 
.arrived in camp on the same day on which these 
.^ood men came out of Calais to die for the rest. 



THE AET OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 51 

She at once prayed Edward to spare their lives, and 
the king granted her request. 



Edicard having resolved for the future to secure an 
■ eoysy entrance into France laid siege to Calais, inhich 
was defended hy John de Vienne, an experienced com- 
marider, and swpiilied icith every thing necessary for 
. sustaining a siege. These operations, though slow, 
were at length successful. It was in vain that the 
governor made a noble defence, and that he expelled all 
useless 2Jerso?is from the city, v^hom Edward generously 
permitted to ptass through his camp and supplied with 
money for their journey to some place of safety. Ed- 
ward, however, resolved to reduce Calais hy famine, 
and it was at length taken after a ticelve months' siege, 
the defenders having been reduced to the last extremity. 
He resolved to punish the obstinacy of the townsmen by 
. the death of the most considerable citizens, icho offered 
: themselves loitJi ropes round their necks to satiate his 
'oengeance ; but he spared their lives at the intercession 
of the queen. 

What was Edward's object in laying siege to 
Calais ? 

To secure an easy entrance into France. , 

Who defended Calais against Edward ? 
John de Vienne. 

What was his character ? 
An experienced commander. 

What was the condition of the city when the 
siege began ? 



52 THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

It was supplied with every thing necessary for- 
sustaining a siege. 

Whom did the governor expel from the city ? 
All useless persons. 

How did Edward treat those who were thus ex- 
pelled ? 

He permitted them to pass through his camp,. 
and supplied them with money for their journey to- 
a place of safety. 

How was the city finally reduced ? 

By famine. 

How long did the siege continue ? 

Twelve months. 

"What cruel resolution did Edward form ? 

To punish the obstinacy of the townsmen by the- 
death of the most considerable citizens. 

What did some of the citizens do when they 
heard this ? 

They offered themselves with ropes round their - 
necks. 

What became of them ? 
He spared their lives. 

• By what means were their lives spared ? 
By the intercession of the queen. 

The passage reconstructed from the ques-- 

tion and answer. 

Edward, having for his object to secure an easy 
entrance into France, laid siege to Calais, which was :. 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 53 

-defended by John de Yienne, an experienced com- 
itnander, and which was supplied with every thing 
necessary for sustaining a siege The governor ex- 
pelled from the city all useless persons, whom Ed- 
ward permitted to pass through his camp, and sup- 
plied with money to assist them for their journey to 
a place of safety. The city was finally reduced by 
famime, the siege having lasted twelve months. 
Edward resolved to punish the obstinacy of the 
i;ownsmen by the death of the most respectable citi- 
zens, some of whom, having heard this, offered 
themselves with ropes round their necks ; their lives, 
however, were spared by the intercession of the 
queen. 



Aftei' the mctory of Cressy, Edicard besieged Calais, 
which sustained a siege of eleven months, and yielded 
in consequence of the defenders having suffered the ex- 
tremities of famine. They at last offered to submit 
on their lives being spared, and Edward, full of wrath 
at their obstinate resistance, agreed only on condition 
that six of their most considerable citizens should be de- 
livered up to him barefooted and loith ropes about their 
necks ready for immediate execution. This cruel de- 
mand struck the inhabitants with terror, in the midst 
of which Eustace de St. Pierre, one of the principal 
■citizens, came forward and offered himself as one of 
the victims. His example loas instantly followed by 
five others; and these six self -devoted men entered 
Edward's camp in the manner prescribed, and laid 
the keys of the city at his feet. He ordered them to be 



54 THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

executed ; but his queen PTdlippa interceded, and hy^ 
Tier tears and entreaties iwocured tlieir pardon. The 
surrender of Calais took place on the Ifth of August ,^ 
1347. 

When did Edward besiege Calais ? 

After the victory of Cressy. 

How long did the siege continue ? 
Eleven months. 

What caused its submission ? 

The defenders having suffered the extremities of 
famine. 

What offers of surrender did the inhabitants 
make ? 

To submit on their lives being spared. 

What caused Edward to impose severe condi- 
tions ? 

Their obstinate resistance. 

What were those conditions ? 

That six of their most considerable citizens should 
be delivered up to him. 

What was the effect of this cruel demand ? 

The inhabitants were struck with terror. 

Who came forward and offered himself as one of 
the victims ? 

Eustace de St. Pierre. 

What was the effect of his example ? 

Five others instantly followed. 

Where did they go ? 

They entered Edward's camp in the manner pre- 
scribed. 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 55- 

What did Edward command regarding them ? 

He ordered them to be executed. 

Who interceded in their behalf ? 

His queen, Philippa. 

What was the result of her intercession ? 

She procured their pardon. 

When did the surrender of Calais take place ? 

On August 4th, 1347. 

The passage re-constructed from the 

question and answer. 

After the victory of Cressy, Edward began the • 
seige of Calais, which lasted eleven months. At 
last, the defenders having suffered the extremities 
of famine, offered to surrender on their lives being 
spared. Their obstinate resistance, however, having 
provoked the king, caused him to listen to no other • 
conditions than that six of their most considerable 
citizens should be delivered up to him. While the 
inhabitants were struck with terror at this cruel 
demand, Eustace de St. Pierre came forward and 
offered himself as one of the victims. Five more 
instantly followed his example. Entering his camp 
in the manner prescribed, Edward ordered them to 
be executed, but the queen, interceding in their be- 
half, procured their pardon. 

Questions Coeeected 
1. Who, and how many were the chil- 
dren of Isaac ? • 
Name the children of Isaac. 



^66 THE ART OF PTTTTING QUESTIONS 

2. Which is the largest, a rood or a square 
chain? 

Is a rood or a square chain the larger ? 

3. The shadow of what body occasions 
an eclipse of the moon, and what is its 
^hape ? 

What body is it whose shadow causes an eclipse 
• of the moon ? 

What is the shape of the earth's shadow ? 

4. Who did Herod the Great marry ? 
Whom did Herod the Great marry ? 

5. What said the Prophets of the calling 
of the Gentiles ? 

What did the Prophets say of the calling of the 
■Gentiles ? 

6. Who was he that delivered the Jews 
from the captivity of Babylon ? 

Who delivered the Jews from the captivity of 
Babylon ? 

7. What are the length, breadth, and 
population of England ? 

Bemark. The extent of a country and its popu- 
lation should form separate questions. 

8. How is Europe situated with regard 
to Asia and Africa, that is — is it to the N., 
E., S., or W. of them ? 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 57 

Remark. The relative situation of Europe and 
Asia and that of Africa should be distinct questions ; 
the specification of the cardinal points of the com- 
pass adds to the confusion. 

9. What did Nebuchadnezzar to the 
three companions of Daniel ? 

"What did Nebuchadnezzar do to the three com- 
panions of Daniel ? 

10. What observations can jou offer 

about the position of Great Britain and 

Ireland ? 

Remark. All the observations that can be offered 
by a pupil regarding the position of Great Britain 
and Ireland — certainly not all the misconceptions 
that can be formed from such a question — are, that 
they are insular, which would be the answer to the 
direct question : ' ' What is the position of Great 
Britain and Ireland ? " 

11. What is the end of Grammar ? 
What is the object of grammar ? 

12. Does not the word circle mean both 
the space and the circumference ? 

To what two things is the word circle applied ? 

13. Did not Saul marrj his second 
daughter Michal to David ? 

Whom did Saul give in marriage to David ? 

14. How varies the image of an object? 
How does the image of an object vary ? 



58 THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

15. Whether is Elgin or Inverness the 
most northerly ? 

Is Elgin or Inverness the more northerly ? 

16. There are only three countries which 
produce diamonds ; which are they ? 

What three countries alone produce diamonds ? 

IT. What is the largest river of the most 
northern nation of Europe ? 

Bemark. There may be the river of a country 
but not of a nation : or there may be characteristics 
either of a nation or of a country. 

18. What is the deadly enemy of elo- 
quence ? 

By what is eloquence opposed ? 

19. Paper is made from what? 
What is paper made from ? 

20. Does America extend more to the 

North than Europe and Asia, and more to 

the South than Africa? 

Does America or Europe and Asia extend the 
further north ? 

21. How do you instance it? 

Give an example. 

22. Then portions of the circumference 
are the measures of angles ? 

What parts of the circumference are the measures 
of angles ? 



THE ART OF PUTTING- QUESTIONS 59 

23. What must be the ground-work on 
which to raise the superstructure of a good 
speaker ? 

What must be observed to make a good speaker ? 

24. Then lines drawn from the centre of 
a circle to the circumference, divide the 
space round the centre and the circumfer- 
ence of the circle all in the same direction ? 

Remarh. Example of a question in which the 
sense can perhaps be best made intelligible by the 
framer. 

25. Can you draw any conclusion from 
that? 

What conclusion is drawn from that ? 

26. How is England bounded, what is 

its capital, and on what river is the capital 

seated ? 

Remark. The boundaries, the capital, and its 
situation should be separate questions. 

27. Who was Jehoshaphat, and how long 

and in what manner did he reign ? 

Remark. Each particular connected by a con- 
junction, forms a distinct question. Questions in 
which the answers are returned in writing, cannot 
even in such an example as this form an exception. 



60 THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

28. On what design was the tower of 

Babel built ? 

With what design was the Tower of Babel built ? 

29. Who did Jesus first appear to after 

his resurrection ? 

To whom did Jesus first appear after his resur- 
rection ? 

30. What did Peter after the betrayal 

of Christ ? 

What did Peter do after the betrayal of Christ ? 

31. Define what is meant by the unity 

of a sentence ? 

Remark. This interrogatory is redundant, the 
question without the command being sufficient, 
' ' What is meant by the unity of a sentence ? " 

32. Grive some examples in which par- 
ticiples perform the office of substantives. 

Give some examples in which participles are used 
in place of substantives. 

33. What does orthography teach, and 
what are the general objects of its cogniz- 
ance ? 

Remark, The answer required by the second 
part of the question is the same as that required by 
the first, and is therefore redundant, besides being 
somewhat grandiloquent. 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 61' 

34. What resulted from the study of 
these several arts ; namely, rhetoric, gram- 
mar, and logic ? 

What resulted from the study of rhetoric, gram- 
mar, and logic ? 

35. What modes conduce to the improv- 

ment of a language? or, what practice 

tends to enrich it? 

Remark. The question which requires a supple- 
mentary explanation is not fit to be asked. "We do 
not here object to a question being proposed in Ian- 
guage different from the lesson : on the contrary, it 
offers, at least with advanced classes, a surer test of 
the degree of attention bestowed on the sense of the 
passage studied, and in the hands of a judicious 
teacher, may contribute largely to correct thinking 
and elegant expression. Were the subject of ex- 
amination the Revolt of the Ten Tribes, the ques- 
tion might be very properly proposed, "What caused 
the dismembering of the Hebrew monarchy ? " 

36. Which great event took place in the 

reign of Yalentinian ? 

What great event took place in the reign of Yal- 
entinian ? 

3Y. Of what description is the climate- 
of the West India islands ? 

What is the climate of the West India islands ? 



62 THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

38. Do you know where Ismael is? 
Where is Ismael ? 

39. In what position is the earth while 
performing its annual motion ? Is its axis 
upright ? 

What is the position of the axis of the earth to 
the plane of its orbit ? 

40. Was not George the Third celebrated 
for the encouragement he gave to the arts 
of painting and sculpture ? 

What arts in particular did George the Third en- 
courage ? 

41. How long did David reign ^'n all ? 
What was the entire length of David's reign ? 

42. What other name has the Black Sea 
got? 

What other name has the Black Sea ? 

43. You told me that Moses was a law- 
giver to the Jews or people of Israel — pray 
how came he by those wise and holy laws 
which he gave them? 

How did Moses receive those laws which he gave 
to the Israelities ? 

44. How did Joseph carry himself to his 

brethren in his advancement ? 

How did Joseph in his advancement behave to 
Ihis brethren ? 



THE AKT OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 63 ■ 

45. There is another entrance to the sea 
of Marmora besides the Hellespont ; what 
is it? 

What other entrance has the sea of Marmora be- 
sides the Hellespont ? 

46. Form a question on the particular^ 
here italicized, making the other partic- 
ulars part of the question, and keeping the 
sense of the sentence complete: "The 
silk-worm feeds on the leaves of the mul-- 
herry tree^ 

On the leaves of what tree does the silk-worm 
feed ? 

47. Form a question on the following 

sentence, observing the same limitations as 

in the preceding : " Linseed oil is obtained 

from the seeds of i\\Q flax plants 

From the seeds of what plant is linseed oil ob- 
tained ? 

48. Make the following question more 
specific by naming some other particular.^ 
Where was our Saviour crucified ? 

On what mountain was our Saviour crucified ? 

49. What does monarch spell ? 
What word does monarch make ? 



-64: THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 

50. Form a question on the following, 
-observing the limitations already named. 

"Ivory is an animal substance." 
What kind of a substance is ivory ? 

51. What is a fog made of ? 
What does a fog consist of ? 

52. Form separate questions on the fol- 
lowing sentence, observing the preceding 
limitations : " Twice a year to every place 
within the tropics the sun's rays are per- 
pendicular." 

How often are the sun's rays perpendicular to 
every place within the tropics ? 

53. Form, etc. " Twice a year to every 
place within the tropics the sun's rays are 
perdendicular." 

Where are the sun's rays perpendicular twice a 
year ? 

5tt. Form, etc. " Twice a year to every 
place within the tropics the sun^s rays are 
j?erj>endicular.'^ 

What is the direction of the sun's rays twice a 
year to every place within the tropics ? 

55. Make more specific, the question : 
-" Who invaded Britain 55 years B. C." 

What Roman general invaded Britain 55 years 
JB. C? 



THE ART OF PUTTING QUESTIONS 65 

56. Repeat the question, changing the 
language of the last clause. 

What Roman general invaded Britain upwards 
of half a century before the Christian Era ? 

57. Make more specific the question : 
'* From whom was Abraham descended ? " 

From which of the sons of Noah was Abraham 
descended ? 



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by Dean Stanxet. Edited, with In- 
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Besides the biogi'aphy of Ascham in 
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From Stanley's " Life of Arnold '- 

those- chapters have been taken which 

THOMAS ARNOLD. refer to his work as a teacher, and are 

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low price all that is most important in the lives of these two great teachers. 

" No better reading could be selected for the teacher, none more stimu 
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for their achievements as teachers." — The Evangelist. 

2; John Arhos Comenius, Bishop of the Moravians ; his Life and Edii^a 
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3. A Biographical Memoir of Samuel Ilartlib, with Bibliographical No- 
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It was this Hartlib to whom Milton addressed his "Small Tractate of 
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U. An Old Educatio-nal Befomxer. Br. Andrew Bell. By J. M. D. MErKLE- 
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C. W. BARDEEN, Publisher, Syracuse, N. Y. 



THE SCHOOL. BULLETIN PUBLIC A TIONS. 



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